Human trafficking is not a new issue at all. Human trafficking has continuously existed from ancient society to modern society. What is new is global sophistication, complexity and consolidation of trafficking networks, and the increasing number of wo...
Human trafficking is not a new issue at all. Human trafficking has continuously existed from ancient society to modern society. What is new is global sophistication, complexity and consolidation of trafficking networks, and the increasing number of women and children who are trafficked from/to/in all parts of the world. Human trafficking is not only a consequence of globalization but is itself globalized.
The purpose of this study is to examine the relations and institutions between states that silently approve human trafficking, especially women trafficking. Although trafficking women has a long history, it never could be solved and now seems to become more difficult to be solved. There are structural factors responsible for the increase in sex trafficking worldwide.
Basically, gender-based social and economic inequality in all areas of the globe assures a supply of women. The sex industry is built on myths about male sexuality, reluctance to problematize the supposed male "need" for commercial sexual exploitations, and the way in which sex has been tolerated as a male right in a commodity culture. In addition to women's inequality, there are many factors that can explain increased transnational women trafficking. This study categorizes those to three main factors.
First, economic policies that make the gap between rich and poor poverty bigger is the one of the three factors. Poverty is very serious problem in today's world. Promoted by World Bank and the IMF, economic policies mandate "structural adjustments" in many developing regions of the world, pushing certain countries to export women for labor (the Philippines) making them vulnerable to trafficking or to develop economies based on tourism (Thailand), with a huge dependence on sex tourism. Under the new regime of globalization, countries continually reduce or withdraw state support for public services such as health, education and social welfare. Many of these services have been privatized and thus the cost has not only increased but has been shifted mainly to women. They have to supply these services themselves, work harder or migrate overseas for family survival under worsening economic conditions. Traffickers move into this gap.
Secondly, the structural factor is restrictive immigration policies. After 9.11, border controls are tightened up to obstruct the flow of migrants seeking to enter countries legitimately. However, these restrictive policies have little effect on traffickers. Ironically, as immigration becomes more restrictive, traffickers become the major players who facilitate international migration.
Third factor is development of telecommunication. As Internet has come widespread, new type of trafficking has emerged. That is called Mail-order bride. Many women in poor countries register in the website to escape form suffering poverty.
Governments have viewed transnational trafficking as a crime of illegal migration in which trafficked women are often treated as the criminals. In this view, trafficking is a crime against the state, and victims become the perpetrators of the crime of trafficking. Viewed from a human rights perspective, however, trafficking is a crime against migrants in which women's desire to migrate is preyed upon.
Countries have different policies about women's sex trafficking, but fortunately they all agree that women who do not want to be trafficked have to be protected and traffickers have to be punished severely. To combat against human trafficking, countries need to form an international regime, because most countries are confronting this problem and it cannot be solved by the effort of a few countries. Also, the global poverty problem should be solved, because basically human trafficking is about the poverty problem. Especially women are the poorest group, which need special care. In addition to solving women's poverty, there should be global effort to empower women for a long-term future.